Automatic drifting control



Dec. 8,1925. 1,564,465

W. T. BRETHERTQN El" AL AUTOMATIC DRIFTING CONTROL Filed Nav. 5. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY.

Dec. 8,1925

Floh-E W. T. BRETHERTON ET AL AUTOMATIC DRIFTING CONTROL Filed Nov. 5. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Pi( Je. J) C IiiA PTORN EYA Patented Dec. 8, 1925.,

Unirse srares Annemarie' `Inni"maner CONTROL.

Applicatoniled bl'oveinber 5, 1924. Serial No. 747,968.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it llznewnwthat We, lViLLiAir" T. llimrirnirror: and Ronnn'r R. Bnsri, being citizens of the United i of Chicago, in the county ot-Cook and State ot Illinois (Whose post-oiiice address is ll33f-- North Kostner Avenue, Chicago,llanera), have invented a certain'neiv and usetul for locomotive throttle valve levers and has for one purpose the provision ot a control for suc-h levers which shall pern'iitfthe engineer to set the lever at drifting position*k with maximum ease. Another purpose is to previde a control et the class described which ,posite sides of said pins and to slide along shall make it impossible lor the engineer to close the lever beyond the point proper for drifting until. hand pressure on tho lever has been released. from time to time in the course ot the specitication and claims.

We illustrate the invention more or less 25 diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, Whereini n y Figure l is a. side elevation of the control lever caught or held in the drifting position; Figurev 2 is a similar elevation illustrating "0 the lever as released from and passing be` yond the drifting position; ,y

Figure 3 is a detail on an enlarged scale; Figure tis an'end view of the part shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a in Figure 3. -Y

Likep'artsare indicated by like characters plan view of the parts Shown A isthe valve' rod Whichvvill be under- Il posite end to the latch D4 which is adapted.

to engage the teeth ot the quadrant C. The latch D4 is guided for example by the slot D5 through which passes the pin DG outline. provement iny Automatic Drifting Controls,4

, to permitthe Other objects Will appearV stood to extend 'through the throttle, the de tail ot 'valve and throttle being omitted, sinceV they form no part ot the present invention TENT 'FFEQE YWardly projecting trom thelever T3. `Any d .suitable yielding means,"`for example an iii- V cased. .spiral spring, States, and residents.

may be provided for thrusting the latch Dt intov cont-act with the 60 teeth of the quadrant C.

Secured as at E to the lug E1 outwardlv projecting from the latch D4 is the link E5;

the opposite'end oi which is provided with a transverse pin E4. E5 is a transverse pin 65 passing through the lever B.

G is a stop block apertured as at G1 G2 passage therethrough the pins E* and E5 respectively. Each aperture is elongated and terminates in a portion having 79 a semi-circular end substantially concentric Vwith the pins E4 E5 respectively. G3 G* are slide blocks shaped te engage the opsaidy apertures. They are provided with 75 studs G5, GG penetrating the compressed spiral springs x7 G8.

Mounted on the block G is the angular bearing element H one arm of which H1 may be dove-tailed into the opposed .tace ,80

of the block G ivhile the other arm islield y by the bolt H2. It Will be understood that in order to compensate tor wear or' the member EL the bolt H? may be removed and the boltv to be moved adjustably therealong. throughout the specification and drawings.-y

lVhereazsWe have Shown a practical operative device, it will .be realized 'that many 95 changes. may be -made in the size,l shape, number and disposition of parts Withoutdeparting materially from thespirit of our L purpose and operation of our invention is U0 to so control the movement ot the throttle lever that the cylinders will be supplied with the necessary volume of steam required to prevent, a vacuum therein during this period oi" movement olf a locomotive as commonly termed drifting.

ln usual locomotive practice the control ot the lever herein shown as B is entirely manual and the lever must at all times be set by positive manual control. ln the operation ot a locomotive the valve rod A is withdrawn by a positive manual movement ol the lever B to open the throttle. The lever .is subsequently set at any desired point depending on the speed desired, the grade traveled, and other factors which need not herel be mentioned. The engineer often wishes to let the locomotive dritt Without entirely shutting the throttle. Drifting may be roughly defined as the movement o'l a locomotive from its momentum, or from the momentum of the locomotive and the train combined after the steam is substantially cut oil.

Tile provide means tor enabling the engineer to set the lever B at the proper point for drifting, the point being predetermined in the case of each locomotive to which our invention is applied. The stop J is positioned on the quadrant C and is initially set at the proper point for each particular locomotive. Assuming-that the lever B is withdraivn toward the middle of the lifting lever, he withdraws the latch Dl and releasesthe lever for movement along the quadrant. But through the link E2 the same movement of the latch involves the movement of the block G and the angle H to such a point that they cannot pass the stop J. Accordingly when the lever B is pushed to the position shown in Figure l the stop J engages the angle H and further torvvard movement of the lever B is limited to the compression of the spring GS until the block Gl engages the opposite ledges of the aperture G2. The engineer releases his grasp on the latch-lifting lever and the latch D4 'is released and engages the quadrant teeth. This movement of the latch Dl, however, :forces the block G and the angle H out oit alignment With the stop J and the compressed spiral spring GS throws the block G on beyond the stop J as soon as it clears the stop J. The engineer can then leave the lever B at this predetermined drifting position or can again compress the lever D and pass the lever B to the limit of its movement along the quadrant. `When the lever B is Withdrawn from the closed position the stop J in no Way impedes the movementot the lever, since spring G5 permits the block G to move to the left, as shown in Figure l, even though the latch Di is Withdrawn lrom engagement With the quad-- rant.

le claim:

l. A throttle control for locomotive engines comprising manually operated lever, a quadrant, a latch on said lever adapted to engage said quadrant, a secondary lever positioned upon said lever and adapted to actuate said latch, and automatic means necessitating the manipulation ol the secondary lever to permit complete throttle valve closure.

2. A throttle control lor locomotive cngines comprising a manually operated lever, a quadrant, a latch on said lever adapted to engage said quadrant, a secondary lever positioned upon said lever and adapted to actua-te said latch, and automatic means necessitating the manipulation of the secondary lever to permit complete throttle valve closure, comprising a stop, and a stop element in opposition thereto positioned upon said lever.

3. A throttle control for locomotive engines comprising a manually operated lever, a quadrant, a latch on said lever adapted to engage said quadrant, a secondary lever positioned upon said lever and adapted to actuate said latch, and automatic means necessitating the manipulation of the secondary lever to permit complete throttle valve closure, comprising a stop on said quadrant and an opposed element positioned on said lever, and a connection between said member and said latch adapted to hold said member in line With said stop when said latch is withdrawn from contact with said quadrant.

4. A throttle control for locomotive engines comprising a manually operated lever, a quadrant, a latch on said lever adapted to engage said quadrant, a secondary lever positioned upon said lever and adapted to actuate said latch, and automatic means necessitating the manipulation of the secondary lever to permit complete throttle valve closure, comprising a stop on said quadrant and an opposed element mounted on said lever, and a connection between said member and said latch adapted to hold said member in line with said stop when said latch is Withdrawn from contact with said quadrant, and yielding means `tor throwing said member forwardly beyond said stop upon release of the latch into engagement 'with the quadrant at the termination of the excursion of the lever toward said stop.

5. A throttle control for locomotive engines comprising a manually operated lever, a quadrant, a latch on said lever adapted to engage said quadrant, a secondary lever positioned upon said lever and adapted to actuate said latch, and automatic means necessitating the manipulation ot the secondary lever to permit complete throttle valve closure, comprising a stop on said quadrant and an opposed element mounted on said lever, and a connection between said member and said latch adapted to hold said member in line with said stop when said latch is Withdrawn from contact With said quadrant, and yielding means for throwing said member forwardly beyond said stop upon release of the latch into engagementpwith the quadrant al; the termination of the excursion of the lever toward said Stop, and yielding means for permitting` said member to override said stop When the lever is moved in the opposite direction, regardless ot the position of the latch.

6. In a throttle control for locomotive engines the combination with a manually operated lever and a secondary lever associated therewith, or automatic means necessitating` manipulation ot said secondary lever to permit complete throttle valve closure.

7 The combination with a throttle lever and sector of opposed stop elen'ients adapted automatically to prevent the completion of the throttle valve closure by one manual motion comprising a stop normally lined on the sector, and a stop movably mounted on the lever and means, mounted on the lever, tor moving said stop.

8. The combination with a locomotive throttle lever and sector and a throttle valve controlled thereby ol means for holding said throttle lever open to a predetermined cxtent to permit the locomotive to dritt comprising a stop normally fixed on the sector, and a stop movably mounted on the lever and means, mounted on the lever, for moving` said stop.

9. The combination With a throttle lever ot opposed stop elements adapted automatically to prevent the completion of the throttle valve closure by one manual motion, one of said stop element-s being yieldingly mounted on said lever.

10. A throttle control for locomotive engines comprising a manually operated lever, a quadrant, a latch on said lever adapted to engage said quadrant, a secondary lever positioned upon said lever and adapted to actuate said latch, and automatic means necessitating the manipulation of the secondary lever to permit complete throttle valve clo sure, comprising,` a sto-p, and a stop element in opposition thereto positioned upon said lever, and means for adjusting the position ot said stop element in order to compensate 'for wear.

Signed at Chicago, county oi Cook and State of Illinois, this 23 day of October 1924.

WILLIAM T. BRETHERTON. ROBERT R. BUSH. 

